by Gareth Cleveland
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3). We may have any number of internal reactions to this proclamation, but I admit that for me, one of them is a sense of trepidation. Am I ready for Christ’s return? Will I have checked the right boxes and appropriately regulated all my thoughts and emotions in order to be eligible to participate in the coming kingdom?
In my childhood and even young adult years, I sometimes experienced a similar anxiety and need for control that would arise in the days leading up to Christmas. I was prone to fear that if I did not prepare for and take in the season in just the right way, it would be a loss, and desolation would follow. Thus on many occasions I pursued unhelpful rituals and sought to conjure up the right feelings. Thankfully, in recent years I have begun to understand that this is not the type of Advent waiting our Lord desires for us.
Given that Revelation is a book known to many for its apocalyptic images of judgment, I find it striking how the opening paragraphs root us in who God is. We are offered “grace” and “peace” not only from John but from the Triune God himself (v. 4-5), and then reminded that we are both loved and “freed from our sins by his blood” (v. 5). When John is overwhelmed by Christ’s splendor in v. 17, Jesus’s first words to him are “Fear not”, echoing the angels who spoke to Mary, Joseph, and shepherds, among others.
Though Jesus’s words in Luke 12:35-53 may summon some of that same anxiety about our readiness, let us not miss that only a few verses earlier, he says “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v. 32). Though he will “come at an hour you do not expect” (v. 40), his desire – more than to judge – is to “bless” and “serve” (v. 37-38) those who have waited for him patiently and faithfully.
With that knowledge, let us wait in hope, peace, and joy, for the time is near.
Gareth Cleveland lives in Brookline with his brother. A lifelong New Englander, he is grateful to get the chance to live in the Hub, and to wait in hope with the CotC community.